1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to connector devices and, more particularly, to connector devices capable of using for both a memory card and a hard disk drive package serving as a data storage medium to be connected to a personal computer, a laptop computer, or a Notebook-PC etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent development in personal computers has created what has become known as the laptop computer which is substantially portable and consumes little power. A further advancement on the laptop computer is the so-called Notebook-PC.
As the size reduction of the computer device such as the personal computer, the laptop computer, or the Notebook-PC is promoted, demand has arisen for increasing its data storage capacity at low cost. To increase the processing speed of stored data and to increase the capacity, it is preferable to use a memory card or a hard disk as data storage medium rather than a floppy disk.
The memory card is advantageous a it is detachably mounted in a computer device and is portable.
Although a low-profile, portable hard disk drive package incorporating a hard disk drive (HDD) is available, it is comparatively expensive. Accordingly, when an HDD package is integrally assembled in each individual computer device, the cost of the computer device is increased.
Furthermore, if the computer device incorporates the HDD package, even a malicious third party can start the operating system (OS). Therefore, data stored in the hard disk can be illegally used or misused.
For these reasons, it is demanded that an HDD package is detachably connected to a computer device in the same manner as a memory card, so that the single HDD package can be compatibly used with a plurality of computer devices, and separated from the computer device and stored or carried. Since the specifications of hard disks differ from each other depending on operating systems, it is preferable that the HDD package be detachably connected to the computer device so as to allow an end user a wide choice of the operating systems.